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It’s a given in Hollywood that anything celebrities do as relief from the glare of celebritydom will result in publicity for those who help them do it. The spotlight thusly has shone on DJs who play celeb parties (DJ AM), luxury day spas (Burke Williams on Sunset) and idyllic shop-stroll streets favored by the likes of Ben and Jen (Montana in Santa Monica).

So it is that a new book on knitting, which has been at least a temporary passion of actors ranging from David Arquette to Felicity Huffman, should be as much about name-dropping as it is about necklines.

Cruise Edith Eig’s “Mother of Purl” for tips on drop stitches, and you’ll find them. Eig, the owner of L.A. shop La Knitterie Parisienne, is a practical and detailed teacher. (About those necklines: “Always use a circular needle no longer than 16 inches when knitting a neck,” she advises.)

Yet you also learn, if you hadn’t already, that child star Dakota Fanning “takes pride in knitting a scarf for each of her leading men” and has been at the hobby since she was 7. “Parker, Sarah Jessica” is in the index below “paint chip palette” and above “patterns.” And get this: Sarah Michelle Gellar is a quick learner on the purl stitch.

The book (HarperCollins, $19.95) contains more than a dozen quick stories about Eig teaching celebrities, and 100-plus pages of patterns and instructions — with photos of the scarves, tank tops and sweaters draped around C-listers like Christopher Gorham of “Out of Practice” and Carolyn Hennesy of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Eig writes of Debra Messing: “When my very famous ‘Will & Grace’ star walked into my shop with her dog, Leila, her knitting project centered around making a little blue sweater for the dog. Leila came for several fittings and sat on the table like a real pro while I measured.

Because Debra is allergic to many fibers, we were challenged to find one that could work well, was soft, and came in the powder blue she desired. We did, and Debra knit a lovely dog cape sweater in powder blue with white trim. Leila was fashion forward on all fours.”